A Promise Kept
by alosercanwin
Summary: He cannot kill you if you're already dead.""What will you do when he finds out?""He won't find out Draco." A story about what would happen if Draco accepted Dumbledore's offer up in the astronomy tower to allow the order to hide him and his family.
1. Play dead

_Disclaimer: Some sentences used in this story were already written and belong to the fabulous JK Rowling. I am not using this story to gain any sort of profit or am i looking to gain any credit for the sentences already belonging to JK Rowling. _

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"There is little time, one way or another," said Dumbledore. "So let us discuss your options, Draco."

"_My_ options!" Said Draco loudly. "I'm standing here with a wand-I'm about to kill you-"

"My dear boy, let us have no more pretense about that. If you were going to kill me, you would have done it when you first disarmed me, you would not have stopped for this pleasant chat about ways and means."

"I haven't got any options!" Said Draco, and he was suddenly white as Dumbledore. "I've got to do it! He'll Kill me! He'll kill my whole family!"

"I appreciate the difficulty of your position," Said Dumbledore. "Why else do you think I have not confronted you before now? Because I knew that you would have been murdered if Lord Voldemort realized that I suspected you."

Draco winced at the sound of the name.

"I did not dare speak to you of the mission with which I knew you had been entrusted, in case he used Legilimency against you," continued Dumbledore. "But now at last we can speak plainly to each other…. No harm has been done, you have hurt nobody, though you are very lucky that your unintentional victims survived…. I can help you, Draco."

"No, you can't," Said Draco, his wand hand shaking very badly indeed. "Nobody can. He told me to do it or he'll kill me. I've got no choice."

"He cannot kill you if you are already dead. Come over to the right side, Draco, and we can hide you more completely than you can possibly imagine. What is more, I can send members of the Order to your mother tonight to hide her likewise. Nobody would be surprised that you had died in your attempt to kill me- forgive me, but Lord Voldemort probably expects it. Nor would the Death Eaters be surprised that we had captured and killed your mother- it is what they would do themselves, after all. Your father is safe at the moment in Azkaban…. When the time comes, we can protect him to. Come over to the right side, Draco… you are not a killer…."

Draco stared at Dumbledore.

"But I got this far, didn't I?" he said slowly. "They thought I'd die in the attempt, but I'm here… and you're in my power…. I'm the one with the wand…. You're at my mercy…."

"No, Draco," said Dumbledore quietly. "It is my mercy, and not yours, that matters now."

Draco did not speak. His mouth was open, his wand hand still trembling. Harry thought he saw him lower his wand. Draco licked his lips and then silently gulped, his hand trembling even more now. His chest started to rise more and more, his breathing getting heavier. His eyes wandered from Dumbledore to the floor for only a mere second, before his gaze was back on Dumbledore, a small tear running down the side of his cheek and hitting his shirt. "He… he'll figure it out." Draco sniffled, biting his lips together before letting another tear run down his cheek. "What will you do then? What will you do when he does find out?" Draco asked, clenching and unclenching his free hand.

"He won't figure it out, Draco." Dumbledore said quietly.

"Yes he will!" Draco yelled, licking his lips and bringing his wand back up to the height it was to begin with. "I have no choice! I have to do this for my family! He'll kill us all!"

"And do you really think that everybody else feels any different than you do about their family." Draco lowered his wand slightly at the Dumbledores statement. "Just because we aren't personally threatened by Voldemort doesn't mean we aren't in the same situation that you are in Draco." The scared and unsure look on Draco's face seemed to somehow give Dumbledore the strength to lift himself up slightly from against the wall. Draco panted heavier now. It was quite obvious that he was trying to calm his breathing down, but with no success. "We are all scared Draco. But it's time like these you have to conquer your fears and decide where you truly lie. You're not a killer Draco." Dumbledore smiled. "Lower your wand Draco. Allow us to help you. Allow us to help your family."

Draco studied Dumbledore carefully, looking him up and down and biting his lips together nervously before slowly lowering his wand. "You can save my mother?" He asked quietly, now looking down at the ground.

"Yes. We can send for her and keep her hidden, keep her safe, along with yourself." Draco nodded slowly, still looking at the ground, an ashamed look on his face. "You're not weak, Draco." Dumbledore suddenly said. "You shouldn't be ashamed of yourself for not being able to do the task at hand. Our strength isn't measured by how many people we kill or by how great of a witch or wizard we are, but by the size of our heart. You may be a Slytherin, Draco, but the love for your family and friends, and the strength you have to do what is right… gives you the heart of a lion."

Draco stared at Dumbledore for a few seconds. He opened his mouth to say something, but there was a sudden bang from the stairway, causing Draco to jump a few inches in the air and come out of his thoughts. "They're breaking through your Order. They'll be up here soon."

"Then we better get a move on." Dumbledore straightened himself up and looked around the room quickly, freezing when his eyes landed on the steps. He reached out with his blackened hand and pointed towards them. "Hand me back my wand and then lie over on those stairs." Draco took a step forward but then stopped, looking Dumbledore up and down once again, obviously trying to decide if what he was doing was right and whether he should really trust him or not. "Please, Draco. We have no time to dilly dally. In order for this to work I need you to hand me my wand and lie on the stairs. You need to not move and try and calm your breathing as much as possible. If they realize you're alive… it'll ruin everything."

The danger of the situation seemed to hit Draco at that moment, but Dumbledore's words seemed to come back to him, and for the first time in his life, he didn't think the old man was crazy. Draco exhaled a deep breath and then approached Dumbledore, handing him over his wand. As he did so, there was an even louder bang and footsteps could be heard running towards them from the bottom of the stairs. "Quickly Draco." Dumbledore whispered. "And remember to remain absolutely still."

With one last look around the room, Draco licked his lips and then laid face down on the stairs, his right arm tucked under his body while his left laid across two sets of stairs, and his legs were spread eagle and bent in every weird way he could put them. Just as he managed to calm his heart rate and close his eyes, the footsteps stopped and he could hear cackling coming from behind him. After a couple seconds, the cackling stopped however and Draco strained his ears to hear what was going on.

"Dumbledore…. Tell me, is the boy dead?" A woman asked, a woman that Draco recognized right away.

"Hello Bellatrix. Who's that with you? Fenrir Greyback, is that you?" Dumbledore said leaning over slightly to get a better view of the people behind Bellatrix.

"Great at changing the subject, aren't you?" Bellatrix asked with a smirk, approaching Dumbledore slowly and running the tip of her wand through her hair. "I'm surprised you had the heart to kill one of your students Dumbledore."

"I'm surprised that you don't seem to be upset at the fact that your nephew is dead." Dumbledore snapped back, still holding a small grin on his face.

Bellatrix glared at him, and before Dumbledore could react, Bellatrix had him disarmed and her wand now aiming right at Dumbledore. "Nobody actually expected him to get as far as he did. His death comes as no surprise to us." Bellatrix said with a smirk. "You, however, should have known that if Draco didn't kill you, then one of us would have."

"Lower your wand Bella." Everybody turned their heads, except for Draco, and met the cold eyes of Severus Snape. Bellatrix's smirk grew as she turned her attention back to Dumbledore. Snape approached Dumbledore, raising his wand towards him as Bellatrix lowered hers.

"Ah, Severus." Dumbledore said, smiling at Snape. Snape showed no emotion, instead his eyes wandered the room until they landed on Draco laying motionless on the floor. After seeing Draco, Snape's eyes shot back to Dumbledore. Dumbledore's smile only grew.

"I never thought I would see the day that the great Albus Dumbledore would kill one of his own students." Snape said slowly.

"We all knew it would happen, Severus." Bellatrix said quietly. "Do it." She whispered. "Fulfill your promise."

Snape turned towards Bellatrix and glared at her before turning back towards Dumbledore and raising his wand slightly. "I never wanted to see the day I would have to kill one of my own students Severus. And I also never wanted to see the day that one of my own teachers would turn against me."

"You won't have to worry about that for that much longer." Snape stated.

"Severus, please."

All Harry saw was a flash of green light and he felt himself come loose from the wall he was just frozen to. He watched in horror as Dumbledore fell from the Astronomy tower to the floor below and he watched as the Death Eaters fled the tower. It was then that it hit Harry. Dumbledore was just killed. Dumbledore was just killed by Snape, a person that he put all his trust in. Before Harry even thought about what he was about to do he through the cloak off of himself and sprinted for the door and into the battle, chasing after the fleeing Death Eaters.

Harry didn't even turn to see Draco no longer pretending to be dead. He didn't see Draco sitting with his back to the wall, legs curled up against his chest, and his head buried in his knees. With his arms wrapped around his legs, he pulled his legs closer towards his body and allowed the tears to fall from his face. He had no idea what he was doing or what he was getting himself into, but he did know one thing. The people he had looked up and wanted to impress more than anything hadn't even believed in him. They had always believed he would fail. And now they thought he was dead, and they didn't even care. They didn't even care because they knew that would be his fate anyway.

And so he sat there. He sat there through the yelling, the crying, and the spell casting. He sat there with his head on his knees as tears soaked his pants. He sat there until the noise died down and a bright light came from below the astronomy tower. Draco stood up slowly and approached the same spot the Dumbledore had fell through. Looking down at the ground, he watched as tiny lights moved along the ground like ants. In the center of the lights, Draco could make out Dumbledore's body, laying spread eagle on the ground, and over his body stood Harry. As Draco looked down, he couldn't help but realize that Harry was no longer looking down at Dumbledore's body, but up towards the Astronomy tower.

Draco narrowed his eyes, trying to get a better look and actually decide if Harry was looking up at him. His thought was confirmed when he saw Harry push through the crowd and disappear into the castle at a full sprint.

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_Hello! Thanks for deciding to read my story! I got this idea after going to see HBP (still not sure about my feelings for it) and watching how much of an AMAZING actor tom felton is. he portrayed draco so well and it made we want to really write draco in his emotional state. i hope you guys liked it and please remember to review!! thanks again! _


	2. I would

_Last Chapter: And so he sat there. He sat there through the yelling, the crying, and the spell casting. He sat there with his head on his knees as tears soaked his pants. He sat there until the noise died down and a bright light came from below the astronomy tower. Draco stood up slowly and approached the same spot the Dumbledore had fell through. Looking down at the ground, he watched as tiny lights moved along the ground like ants. In the center of the lights, Draco could make out Dumbledore's body, laying spread eagle on the ground, and over his body stood Harry. As Draco looked down, he couldn't help but realize that Harry was no longer looking down at Dumbledore's body, but up towards the Astronomy tower._

_Draco narrowed his eyes, trying to get a better look and actually decide if Harry was looking up at him. His thought was confirmed when he saw Harry push through the crowd and disappear into the castle at a full sprint._

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Draco kept his attention on the crowed below. He watched as they all stared at the dead, lifeless body of their headmaster. He guessed most of them were crying, and if they weren't, there was no doubt they were feeling upset about the death of their headmaster, maybe even remorse.

Draco knew Harry had to be feeling remorse more than anybody else, and he knew he would get the full blast from Harry in about a minute when he came charging up the stairs two at a time and blaming Draco for everything that happened. And even though Draco knew this, and he could very well have his wand out and pointing at the staircase to the Astronomy Tower to stop Harry, Draco still kept his eyes on the crowd. It wasn't his fault, not really. Sure, he had successfully fixed the vanishing cabinet that allowed the deatheaters into the school, but they didn't do anything except damage the school and cause some minor injuries. The only person dead was Dumbledore, and that wasn't Draco's fault at all. Snape was already in the castle, he didn't need to sneak in.

Draco knew that Harry would never be able to figure this out, especially since he was blinded by the death of his mentor, his headmaster.

It was then that the realization smacked Draco in the face. Dumbledore was dead and Harry would blame Draco for it. Harry was the only one up in the tower who had heard Dumbledore's offer about helping Draco, an offer that Draco accepted with the belief that Dumbledore would still be alive when the night was over. But he wasn't. And now, would Harry still want to follow what Dumbledore was going to do? Would Harry even tell the Order about Dumbledore's offer? And what about his mother? She wouldn't be able to handle the death of her son, even if it was fake? Would Harry actually tell the Order she needed to be rescued, and could they actually hide him and his mother as well as Dumbledore thought they could?

None of that mattered now. He had made his decision and there was no time to take it back now. He would just have to stick with it and fight for what he was promised.

Draco inhaled a deep breath as he heard footsteps running up the stairs, and before he knew what was happening, he was being shoved against the wall. Harry stood in front of Draco, one hand holding onto the collar of Draco's shirt in a fist while his other hand help his wand to Draco's throat. "YOU STUPID SON OF A BITCH!" Harry yelled in Draco's face. "This is your entire fault! You're the reason he's dead!"

"Get your hands off me Potter!" Draco yelled back, pushing Harry to try and get him out of his face.

"I should have finished you off in the bathroom while I had the chance!" Harry yelled, tears now pouring down his face. "If it wasn't for you, then Dumbledore would still be alive!"

"He would still be dead you idiot!" Draco yelled back. "I did nothing except mend a broken cabinet." He said through his teeth.

"And by doing so allowing the Death Eaters into the castle, ultimately leading up to Dumbledore's death. Everything is your fault, Malfoy!" As Harry said this, his grip on Draco's shirt tightened and his wand started to shake in his hand. "You're crazy if you think that were going to actually help you." Harry said through his teeth and under his breath.

"HARRY!" Harry and Draco glared at each other, ignoring the yelling coming from the other people who had recently occupied the tower. "Harry, don't do it!" Draco's eyes left Harry's and traveled to the brunette who was now running towards Harry. Hermione reached her hands out and placed them on Harry's wand arm, talking to him kindly. "Harry, come on, don't do it. Lower your wand." Harry continued to glare at Draco and Draco just looked back at Harry with his grey eyes, eyes filled with sadness and an apology that would never leave his lips.

Hermione stopped looking at Harry for only a moment, turning towards Ron and looking at him for help. Ron, recognizing her silent plea, approached Harry as well. "Come on, mate." Ron said placing a hand on Harry's shoulder. "Everybody's going to the hospital wing to discuss what happened and what needs to happen next. We should be there."

"We don't need to discuss what happened, we already know what happened." Harry said through his teeth, not taking his eyes off Draco. "Instead of leaving and going to the hospital wing, let's call the aurors here. They can arrest him for the murder of Dumbledore."

"I didn't kill Dumbledore and you know it Potter!" Draco yelled back, hating the fact that he was being falsely accused just because Harry wanted somebody to blame. "All I did was mend-"

"The vanishing cabinet!" Harry cut him off, finishing his sentence for him. "Yeah, I heard you the first time! Whether it was you who actually killed him or not, your still responsible for his death."

"Snape was the one who killed him you imbecile!" Draco yelled back. "In case you forgot, Snape was a teacher here! He was already in the castle! He didn't come in from the cabinet! Dumbledore's death is not… my… fault!"

"YES IT IS!" Harry yelled, pushing his wand into Draco's throat even more.

"Harry, no!" Hermione yelled, this time gripping Harry's arm and managing to pull the wand away from Draco's throat. Ron, who still had his hand on Harry's shoulder, pulled Harry back, causing Harry to lose his grip on Draco's shirt.

"Come on mate." Ron said quietly, still having one hand on Harry's shoulder and leading him towards the stairs. It didn't take long for Draco to realize that Harry was crying hysterically. It also didn't take Draco long to realize that even though Harry and Ron had left the tower, Hermione was still there with him.

She didn't take her eyes off him, and there was a couple seconds when they both stared into each others eyes, but Draco turned away quickly. He licked his lips nervously and kicked himself off the wall. He turned to the window of the tower and placed his hands on the railing, looking down at the growing crowd below. He knew Hermione was still standing there and was still staring at him, but he didn't acknowledge her. He wasn't in the mood to deal with any questions, especially since Harry had said what he had feared he would say. Harry wouldn't help him like Dumbledore had promised he would.

"Is it true?" Draco closed his eyes and inhaled a deep breath upon hearing Hermione speak.

"Is what true?" He asked, his eyes still closed and his grip on the railing tightening, making his knuckles turn white.

"It's your fault the Death Eaters are here tonight?" When she asked this question, Draco realized how much closer her voice sounded, and he opened his eyes. When he opened them up, he saw Hermione out of the corner of his eye, gripping the railing and looking down at the crowd below. Not expecting to see her there, Draco jumped a few feet in the air from surprise and took a step away from her. "I'm sorry I didn't mean to scare you." She said in a soft, quiet, sad voice. "I just can't believe this is happening."

Draco watched Hermione with curiosity as she gazed down at the crowd below them, the wind blowing her hair from side to side and causing small strands to lick the side of her face. "We're all scared." She said, still looking below, a small tear now running down her cheek.

"I'm not." Draco lied, still not taking his eyes off her.

Hermione turned to face him slowly. "It's okay." She said giving him a small smile that only faded away. "You don't have to lie." She stated casually, her eyes now focused on the night sky and the clouds tinted green from the dark mark. "I already know you're scared." Draco turned his attention away from Hermione and back to the crowd, but Hermione kept talking. "You would have done it if you weren't scared."

"Done what?"

"Killed Dumbledore." Hermione said quietly, almost like it was a secret. "But you didn't, did you?"

"No." Draco said just as quietly. "Snape did. But I didn't kill him because I was scared." Draco snapped suddenly.

"Then what's your excuse, Malfoy?" Hermione asked, sounding rather annoyed, but keeping her attention on the stars.

"Dumbledore made me and offer." Hermione snapped her head away from the stars and watched Draco with interest. "He told me to come to your side. He said I did nothing wrong. He said he would help hide me and my mother...and keep us safe. I believed him, but now…"

"What?" Hermione asked, pressing him on.

Draco glanced over at Hermione quickly, then turned his attention back to the crowd. "He's dead. The only other person who heard him say that was Potter, and he won't help me. Potter blames me. He's '_the chose one'_. It's my word against his. Who's going to believe him over me… a death eater?"

"Ex Death Eater." Hermione corrected him. Draco turned his attention away from the scene and looked over at Hermione with shock. "You're one of us now, whether you want to be or not." She smacked the palm of her hand on the railing nervously as she said this and inhaled a deep breath. She licked her lips and then turned her back on the window and started making her way towards the stairs. "We should go to the hospital wing and find everybody before they start to worry." She said, turning and looking at Draco as she said it.

"We?" He asked, turning his head to look at her, but keeping his body towards the window.

Hermione nodded. "If Dumbledore promised to help you, then I think we should mention it to the Order." She nodded at Draco and then turned to leave, walking the first couple steps down before turning back and saying one more thing before she left. "And to answer your question earlier, about whom would believe you over Harry?" Hermione paused for a few seconds before smiling slightly at Draco. "I would."

Draco watched her leave the tower before turning back and looking out the window again, the gears in his head turning about the civilized conversation him and Hermione had just had. Would she really be on his side over Harry's, her best friend? Draco ran a hand through his platinum blonde hair as he shook his head, not knowing what to think. He didn't know who's side she would be on, but there was only one way to find out. Draco bit his lips together as he made his way towards the staircase, heading towards the hospital wing after Hermione.

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_Thanks to everybody who reviewed! i was honestly shocked by all the reviews i got, i wasn't expecting that! i hope you guys liked this chapter as much as the last. let me know what you think please!_


	3. You can but you won't

_Last Chapter: Draco watched her leave the tower before turning back and looking out the window again, the gears in his head turning about the civilized conversation him and Hermione had just had. Would she really be on his side over Harry's, her best friend? Draco ran a hand through his platinum blonde hair as he shook his head, not knowing what to think. He didn't know who's side she would be on, but there was only one way to find out. Draco bit his lips together as he made his way towards the staircase, heading towards the hospital wing after_ _Hermione._

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Draco entered the hospital wing slowly, staying towards the back of the room and hoping not to be noticed. Several people were surrounding one of the beds, all but one with red hair. Draco guessed it was a Weasley lying in the bed, but he couldn't actually see the person, so guessing was as far as he got. The one other person he recognized straight away. Fluer Delacour. You would have to be a fool not to recognize her.

But Draco didn't keep his eyes on Fleur for long. Instead they traveled over towards a more busy haired person. He watched as she bit her lips together nervously and looked over at the red heads surrounding the bed. He looked deep into her eyes as she looked at the back of Ron's head with concern, then her eyes started to wander around the room aimlessly before slowly traveling over and meeting Draco's. She smiled at him kindly, noticing him for the first time. She nodded hello at him before turning her attention back to Ron. As Ron ran a hang through his hair, Hermione approached him slowly, placing a hand on his shoulder for comfort. Draco, who was still watching, turned his head away, feeling like it was a private moment that he shouldn't be watching in on.

Draco looked around the room now, finally realizing that amazing amount of people who were occupying the room. Along with all the Weasleys, Fleur, Harry, and Hermione, there were many more. Lupin stood next to Harry, talking quietly to him, with his arms folded against his chest, staring down the person lying in the bed. Standing next to Lupin was Tonks, a cousin of his, all thanks to his mother. Standing a few feet to the right of Lupin, Tonks, and Harry, was Hogwart's teachers, McGonagall in the front of the group, the new headmistress now that Dumbledore was killed. And to the back of the group stood Hagrid.

"What will happen to him, Remus? What will happen to my son?" Molly Weasley asked, finally taking her eyes off the person in the bed and looking behind her at Lupin.

"I'm unsure Molly. His case is rare. He wasn't bitten, just scratched up. He might not turn into a werewolf at all, only time will tell." Lupin said quietly.

"Oh, my boy!" Molly Weasley turned back towards the bed and wrapped her arms around the body. It was the first time Draco could catch a glimpse of the person laying there, and he couldn't help the gasp that escaped his mouth or the shock that spread across his face. Bill Weasley laid in the bed with deep cuts all along his face. "I can't believe this happened!"

"What in the bloody hell are you doing here!" Draco turned his attention away from Bill towards Harry, who was now facing Draco and approaching him fast. Hermione was the first to act. She ran after Harry, grabbing his hand and holding him back.

"Harry, stop this." She said calmly.

"Stop? STOP! You want me to stop!" Harry screamed, yanking his arm from Hermione's grasps roughly and pointing at Draco. "Hermione, he's the reason we're in this situation! He's the reason Dumbledore's dead!"

"No I'm-" Draco started but stopped when Hermione put her hand up, silencing him.

"I got this Malfoy." She said looking at him with frustration painted on her face but yet, kindness in her eyes. "Harry, Malfoy didn't kill Dumbledore. Snape did."

"He fixed the Vanishing Cabinet, Hermione. He's the reason the Deatheaters got into the castle tonight!"

"That's besides the point Harry! Snape was already in the castle. Malfoy didn't need to fix the cabinet in order for Snape to get in here. The only thing he could possibly take responsibility for is the fact that some people got injured tonight because he let the death eaters in, but that's not even important right now."

"No, it is important right now! Because of him, Bill is now going to be scarred for life!" Harry yelled, taking his wand out of his pocket and taking another step towards Draco.

"But he didn't kill Dumbledore!" Hermione yelled, pulling him back.

"As far as I'm concerned, he did!" Harry yelled, now facing Hermione.

"Stop lying to everybody and blaming innocent people, Harry! Maybe Lupin was right. Maybe you are blinded by hatred." Hermione said, looking at Harry with sad eyes.

Harry looked at Hermione carefully, before answering softly. "I'm not blinded by hatred, Hermione."

"Then tell them!" She yelled, pointing towards the crowd of people behind them.

Harry looked at Hermione for a few more seconds before looking over at Draco, glaring at him. He exhaled a deep breath and then turned his attention back to Hermione. "Why are you standing up for him?" Harry asked quietly so nobody but Hermione and Draco could make it out.

Hermione didn't answer, she just stared back into Harry's eyes. "Tell them Harry. Tell them about the offer that Dumbledore made Malfoy. Tell them about the offer that he agreed to. That offer was a promise, Harry."

It was obvious that Harry was having an internal struggle. His eyes would travel from Hermione to Draco then slowly make their way to the ground, where he would keep them before looking at Hermione again. "We can't help him Hermione." Harry said quietly.

"You mean _you_ can't help him, not _we_. And you _can_ help him… you just won't." Hermione said, crossing her arms over her chest.

"You realize you're defending _Draco Malfoy_, right?" Harry snapped.

"No Harry. I'm defending what's right."

Harry and Hermione stared at each other, Draco watched them nervously. Before Harry could speak, Ron spoke up, his curiosity taking over him. "Can somebody explain what the bloody hell is going on?"

Hermione watched Harry, waiting for him to speak, but he just kept his head low to the ground. "Fine." Hermione snapped, still looking at Harry. She turned and looked at Draco before once more before turning to face the group. "Draco was supposed to kill Dumbledore. That was his task from Voldemort. From what Draco told me, Dumbledore made him an offer. The offer was for Draco to lower his wand and come to our side. Dumbledore promised to hide his family and keep them safe. Harry…" Hermione shot Harry a look before turning back to the group. "wasn't going to tell you all this. Harry thinks we shouldn't help somebody who was promised to be helped."

"Well… why should we?" Ron asked, now stepping forward. "Does he actually deserve our help?"

"Oh Ron, not you to." Hermione whined.

"I'm serious. This is Draco Malfoy we're talking about. Does he actually deserve our help? What has he ever done for us except call us name and annoy the bloody hell out of us for 6 years now?" Ron said rather calmly.

"That was the past, it doesn't really matter anymore."

"'Doesn't really matter anymore'?" Harry asked. "Are you crazy?"

"No I'm not." Hermione snapped. "Can't you just think of him as a person for once!" Hermione pointed behind her to Draco. "He's a human being who's going through just as much hell as we all are! He-"

"Oh, so Malfoy has a lightning bolt shaped scar on his forehead now, does he?" Harry asked, glaring at Draco.

Hermione stomped her foot in frustration. "Stop this right now Harry James Potter!"

"No! You stop Hermione! Stop standing up for him!"

"I will not! You need-"

"Granger." Everybody froze and turned to look at Draco, who had spoke for the first time. "Just… stop defending me before you lose your friends. I'm perfectly capable of taking care of myself since your Order doesn't want to help me." Draco put hands in his pocket and made his way towards the door.

Hermione went to stop him, but somebody stopped him first. "Hold it Mr. Malfoy." Draco turned slowly and caught the eyes of Professor McGonagall. "Did Professor Dumbledore really make you that offer?" Draco looked over at Harry, who was glaring right back at him, then turned to McGonagall and nodded his head slowly. "Very well then. I agree with Miss Granger." She said turning to Lupin. "If Albus made Mr. Malfoy that offer then I think we should abide by it. It must have been for a reason."

Lupin nodded his head and Draco released a breath he didn't even know he was holding in. Harry and Ron both made a kind of grunting noise, obviously pissed that the Order was going to help Draco, but froze from the look that Hermione and McGonagall gave them. "Speaking of Albus, we should probably move his…" Lupin voice died out, not wanting to state what so obviously had to be done sooner or later.

"Yes." McGonagall said softly, nodding her head in agreement and looking down at the ground. "The students should be sent home as well. I can't image anybody being able to concentrate on learning or teaching at this time."

"Tomorrow morning would be best I think Minerva." Professor Sprout said, laying a friendly hand on McGonagall's shoulder.

"B-But what about Dumbledore?" Ginny asked. "Where will he be buried?"

"His wish was too buried here… at Hogwarts." McGonagall said, tears now running down her cheeks.

"Then I think we should give him what he wanted." Mr. Weasley said, running a hand down his wife's back.

"I agree." McGonagall said. "We'll send the students home and then we can lay him to rest out in the grounds by the lake."

"Well I'm staying." Harry said. "I'm going to be there for his funeral. I-I have to be."

Everybody in the room nodded in agreement, all except for Draco, who knew very well that he couldn't attend the funeral, even if he wanted to. Not only was he not allowed to be seen by anybody but the Order, risking Voldemort finding out he was truly alive, but Harry wouldn't allow Draco to be there, and Draco decided to respect his wishes for this one time.

"I can image some other students would want to be present as well. Why don't we allow them to attend the funeral if they wish and then we can send them all home after." Madame Pomfrey stated.

"I think Albus would have liked that." McGonagall said, more tears now running down her cheeks.

"Very well then." Lupin said, putting his hands in his pockets. "Hagrid? Could you come and help me? Albus's body needs to be moved somewhere safe for now." Lupin walked towards the door, Hagrid following behind him with tears the size of tennis balls running down his cheeks.

"We should send the students to bed." McGonagall said turning towards the teachers. "Make sure your houses are inside their common rooms and then from there let them know what will take place tomorrow. Don't let them know anything of how Albus died. They will find out in due time." McGonagall nodded at the teachers, then turned to Slughorn quickly before her left. "Seeing as there's no Slytherin head of house, could you repsent them?"

"It would be an honor." Slughorn said nodding and then leaving with the rest of the teachers.

"All of you should get to your common room as well." Mrs. Weasley said to her children, Harry, and Hermione. "It's going to be a rough day tomorrow. You're going to need all the rest you can get." They all nodded and left the room slowly, Hermione turning and smiling slightly at Draco before following her best friends out the door. "So I guess that leaves you, Draco." Mrs. Weasley said kindly, giving Draco the warmest smile she could muster up. "Perhaps you and Tonks could take him back to The Burrow, Arthur. That's most likely where everybody will be gathering after the funeral tomorrow anyways."

"My mum…" Draco said, his voice hoarse from lack of speaking. "Dumbledore promised the Order would be able to save her, pretend to kill her so me and her could both disappear. Her safety was the reason I agreed to all of this."

"That's very noble of you." Mr. Weasley said, now approaching Draco. "We'll try everything we can to save her, but for now you just need to come with us. Staying here in this castle will risk your chances of being seen. You need to leave these grounds now, and the only other place for you to go would be to our headquarters and our home."

Draco studied Mr. Weasley carefully before nodding his head slowly. Mr. Weasley half smiled at him and then nodded at Tonks. "The rest of the school should be in bed by now. It should be safe to leave the Hospital Wing." She said, approaching Draco. Mr. Weasley nodded and then approached his wife, who stated the she would be staying with her son for the night, gave her a kiss, and then started walking towards the door, followed closely by Draco and Tonks.

They left the school grounds successfully, not running into anybody or being seen by anybody would could be a cause for a potential threat, and apparated to The Burrow.

* * *

_Thanks to everybody who reviewed! I am still honestly stunned by how many reviews i have been getting on this story! Thanks again and please continue to review. It honestly makes the updates come faster!_

_Let me know what you think so far please!_


	4. Bad decision indeed

_Last Chapter: Draco studied Mr. Weasley carefully before nodding his head slowly. Mr. Weasley half smiled at him and then nodded at Tonks. "The rest of the school should be in bed by now. It should be safe to leave the Hospital Wing." She said, approaching Draco. Mr. Weasley nodded and then approached his wife, who stated the she would be staying with her son for the night, gave her a kiss, and then started walking towards the door, followed closely by Draco and Tonks._

_They left the school grounds successfully, not running into anybody or being seen by anybody would could be a cause for a potential threat, and apparated to The Burrow._

* * *

They landed in the dirt outback by a chicken coop, causing some of the dirt to rise up from their sudden arrival. Draco quickly waved his hand in front of his face, trying to keep it from getting all dirty, looking up at the strange house as he did so. He realized after getting a good look at the house that there was going to be no way he would keep clean anyway. He groaned in the back of his throat as he leaned over to wipe some of the dirt off of his black dress pants.

"Come on now, Draco." Tonks said in a friendly voice as she followed Mr. Weasley towards the house. "A little dirt never hurt anybody."

"Obviously nobody in this family." Draco murmured under his breath before following Tonks inside.

Draco pushed the barn door open after Tonks and glanced around the room with a somewhat disgusted look on his face. This house was nothing compared to his Manor, and Draco knew right away it would take some time getting used to. He walked around the kitchen cautiously, noticing things that any true pureblood family would find atrocious. In a small chair sat some balls of yarn, the string ends knitting themselves together to form what looked like a scarf. Inside of the sink, which Draco couldn't help but notice was disgustingly dirty, sat a huge pot, cleaning itself under the water. On the stove sat a tea pot, boiling away, and a sauce pan with a reddish, orange sort of goop inside of it. Draco had to hide the gag that came at the sight and smell of it.

As he rounded the stove, his eyes fell upon what looked like a grandfather clock. Draco looked at it more closely, thinking that this was probably the only thing in the house that wouldn't send him running for cover in a week, when he realized that it wasn't a clock at all. In the face of the clock were several hands, all with the face of somebody from the Weasley family attached at the end. And around the face weren't numbers, but more like places and feelings. Draco rolled his eyes as he turned away from it.

"Are you hungry?" Draco looked up to see Mr. Weasley grabbing three bowls out of one of the cabinets and approaching the goop that sat inside of the sauce pan.

"No." Draco said quickly, not really wanting to try what these people called food. Mr. Weasley turned to Draco, looking slightly caught off guard, but then shrugged his shoulders and scooped out some soup for him and Tonks. Tonks, who was already sitting at the kitchen table, thanked Mr. Weasley as she took her first sip.

Draco watched her. He was disgusted by the way she was slurping down her meal, enjoying it like it was the last one she would ever eat. His feelings towards the soup must have shown on his face because Tonks glanced up at Draco and frowned. "It's only tomato soup." She said, looking at him with disbelief.

Draco wanted nothing more to say that he had never seen tomato soup that looked like that, but held it back and just glanced over at Mr. Weasley, who was now grabbing three tea cups and brought them over to the table as well. He took a seat next to Tonks and used his wand to levitate the tea pot over to them. "Don't you have house elfs to do all of the cooking for you?"

"No house elfs here." Mr. Weasley said with a laugh, pouring himself and Tonks a cup before looking up at Draco. "Take a seat, Mr. Malfoy." Mr. Weasley said, pointing the seat nearest where Draco was standing. "Have some tea. You've had a rough night." He stated, pouring Draco a small cup and pushing it towards the still standing blond.

Draco, who figured that they couldn't mess tea up to much, pulled the chair out from under the table. He looked down at the chair, noticing that it was stained and chipped in places, making it look like they had found it laying in the trash and decided that it could be of use for them in their house. He groaned inwardly as he pulled the chair out a little more, taking his hand and wiping whatever dirt would be on it, off quickly. He glanced down at the chair one more time deciding that he should sit on the edge of the chair just in case. Once he sat down though, the uneven legs on the chair combined with the weight of the side Draco was sitting on, caused the chair to tip over unexpectedly and Draco fell down to the floor.

He heard Tonks laugh and then he heard it become muffled. He glanced up at her to see her covering her mouth, an obvious smile plastered on her face that hid behind her hands. Mr. Weasley, however, stared down at Draco with concern. "You okay son?" He asked.

Draco just glared up at the man, not answering him. He jumped up from the ground quickly and ran his hand down his dress pants and dress shirt, rubbing hard at the places where dirt now stained them. Draco exhaled a deep breath and then approached the seat he had previous occupied. As he looked at the legs, he decided he didn't want to give it another try and stood standing, grabbing the cup of tea and bringing it up to his mouth. He stopped when he noticed that the tea seemed to be a lot darker then the tea he always drank. He brought it up to his nose and smelled it, holding back the urge to vomit on the spot.

He put the cup back down on the table slowly and then turned to Mr. Weasley. "Is there a bed that I can use?"

Mr. Weasley looked at Draco. It was obvious he took offense to the fact that Draco didn't drink his tea or accept any food, but let it go anyway. He nodded his head and then stood up, ushering for Draco to follow him. "Be right back Tonks." Mr. Weasley stated before walking up the stairs with Draco following right behind him. "You can stay in my son Charlie's room. He's in Romania right now, and then when he comes, you two will just have to share the room."

Draco rolled his eyes, not liking the fact that he had to share a room with somebody. Never in his 16 years on this earth did he ever have to share a room with somebody. His decision to allow The Order to help him was turning out to be a bad one.

Draco followed Mr. Weasley up a few flights of stairs and then stopped when they came across a wooden door, painted a deep shade of red. "Here we are." Mr. Weasley said, turning the handle and ushering Draco inside. "You should find everything you need in here. The bathroom is just down the hall, second door to your left. If you would like, you can borrow some of my son's clothes. You look like you could fit in them." Mr. Weasley smiled as Draco stepped inside of the room. "Good night Mr. Malfoy." He said kindly, nodding to Draco and shutting the door behind him.

Draco just nodded back, and then turned his attention to the room he was now standing in. He exhaled a deep breath as he looked around. The room was small compared to his room, but so was the house. He approached the bed cautiously, taking note that some of the floor boards seemed to creek under his footing. Once he was standing beside the bed, he looked down at it and shook his head. The bed looked like it was made by a five year old. The comforter hung more towards the foot of the bed then it did near the head, it was wrinkled to no extent, and the seam on the pillow case was on the top when it should have been on the side.

Draco exhaled a deep breath as he brought his hand down to the bed. He took his index finger and wiped it along the sheets, bringing it back up towards his face and examining it. His finger was covered in a thick layer of dust. It was obvious this room had been unoccupied for a while.

He wiped his finger off on his already dirty pants and turned around, running a hand through his hair. His eyes found the dresser and he approached it, hoping to maybe find something clean he could change into for the night. He opened up the top drawer and found socks, scattered randomly inside the drawer instead of with their pair, and knickers, unfolded and some inside out. He closed the drawer quickly, not exactly keen on sharing that sort of clothing with the previous occupant of the room. He opened up the second drawer and looked inside quickly. He found what looked to be a pair of sweat pants and pulled them out. He held them up and looked at them with disgust. They were stained on the top of the legs and ripped closer to the bottom. Draco took another look inside of the drawer before coming to the conclusion that these pants were the best ones in there.

He closed that drawer, and then opened up the next one, finding t-shirts. He pulled out a plain white one and held it out in front of him just like he did with the pants. Whatever Mr. Weasley was talking about with Draco and Charlie being the same size, Draco couldn't figure out. From the looks of things, Charlie seemed to be much bigger then Draco was. Not exactly fat, but just muscular, and Draco would only swim in these clothes.

He exhaled a deep breath and placed the shirt back inside the drawer, then closed it up. He glanced at the pair of sweat pants, shrugged his shoulder, then walked over towards the bed. He quickly took off his dress pants and through them neatly over one of the chairs in the room, then put on the sweat pants he had found. As he pulled them up over his waist, they fell down almost instantly. Draco inhaled a deep breath and closed his eyes, inwardly telling himself to calm down and that everything would be alright.

He pulled the sweat pants back up and untied the string around them. He quickly tightened the string as much as he could and then tied it. The pants were still to big on him, but at least they weren't falling off anymore.

He then took off his dress shirt, revealing the clean black under shirt he had on. He placed his dress shirt with his pants, hoping to maybe get them washed tomorrow.

Draco, who wanted nothing more than to go into the bathroom and freshen up, decided against it. He had seen enough of this house for the night and figured the bathroom could wait until morning. He made his way over towards the bed and glanced down at it one more time before pulling the comforter back. Upon doing so, dust was lifted into the air, causing Draco to throw his arm over his mouth and cough from chocking on the dust.

Once the dust had settled, Draco lowered his arm and put his head towards the ceiling, closing his eyes and exhaling a deep breath. "What have I gotten myself into?" He asked himself.

He lowered his head and then grabbed the comforter again, throwing it to the side and quickly shaking it out. He grabbed the pillow case and straightened it back out, but not before giving that a good shake as well. Draco glanced down at the bed one more time before deciding there was nothing more he could do to better the situation and climbed inside. He brought the comforter up to his chest and just stared up at the dirty and stained ceiling.

His decision to allow The Order to help him was turning out to be a bad one indeed.


	5. An unanswered question

_Last Chapter: He lowered his head and then grabbed the comforter again, throwing it to the side and quickly shaking it out. He grabbed the pillow case and straightened it back out, but not before giving that a good shake as well. Draco glanced down at the bed one more time before deciding there was nothing more he could do to better the situation and climbed inside. He brought the comforter up to his chest and just stared up at the dirty and stained ceiling._

_His decision to allow The Order to help him was turning out to be a bad one indeed._

* * *

Draco awoke the next morning, still lying on his back, and ran a hand through his hair. He glanced around the room, looking for a clock so he would be able to tell the time of day. When he couldn't find one, he sighed and sat up, throwing his legs over the side of the bed. He put his head in his hands and rubbed his eyes, a yawn escaping his mouth. He threw the covers off of himself and stood up, standing on his toes and stretching. Once he was fully stretched, he walked over to the chair and grabbed his clothes off the back.

Rubbing the back of his neck, Draco made his way towards the door. He thrust it open and then made his way down the hall towards where Mr. Weasley had told him the bathroom was the night before. He opened up all the doors until he finally came across the green and blue tiled bathroom. He pushed the door open slightly and poked his head inside. He groaned at the size of the bathroom before opening the door all the way. He stepped inside cautiously and then got a good look around the room.

He approached the shower first, pulling back the lime green curtain and looking down at the white tub. It was your average size tub, only Draco could make out the visible water line that was stained on the sides, and the shower head was also stained with water that had splashed onto it and not wiped off. He yanked the curtains back to their original spot before turning his back on the shower and looking around the room. He put his hands in his pockets as he approached the sink. He glanced down at it, giving it a sideways glance. It seemed to be clean, unless you counted the small dots of toothpaste that lined the facet.

Draco shook his head and took his attention away from the sink. He looked up and found that he was staring right back at himself. Draco removed his hands from his pockets and rested them on the counter. He leaned in closer and examined himself closely. He knew that it was him staring into the mirror, yet the person staring back at him was somebody he didn't even realize. His skin was dull, pale and a sort of grayish color. He had deep circles under his eyes and even the whites of his eyes seemed to have a red tint to them.

Draco brought his hand up to his face and ran his finger tips along his cheeks. His skin was rough, not soft like it usually was, and his hair was a mess. It stuck out in the back and on the sides, and seemed darker compared to his skin. Draco ran a hand through it and couldn't help but notice that it also felt greasy. Disgusted by his lack of hygiene and how bad he looked, he quickly turned away from the mirror. He approached the closet and pulled the door open. It consisted of a few shelves, all lined with numerous soaps, shampoos, and conditioners. Draco examined them all closely, pushing some of the ones in the front to the side so he could get a better look at the ones in the back.

He exhaled a deep breath and glanced over at the shower, catching a small glimpse of himself as his eyes traveled there. He bit his lips together and turned back towards the shelf, making up his mind that he could use a good wash. He quickly grabbed a towel, an un-open bar of soap, and what looked like to be the nicest shampoo and condition mixed in with all the cheaper products. He closed the door to the cabinet and pulled open the curtain to the shower again, this time placing the shampoo, condition, and soap along the edge of the tub.

He threw back the curtain of the shower and reached down to the facet, turning the handle until the warm water sprayed down the walls of the tub. He stuck his hand out to feel the temperature of the water. When he was satisfied, he quickly got undressed and then jumped into the shower. He allowed the warm water to run down his body before reaching for the shampoo. He squirted more than enough into his hand and then became scrubbing his scalp. He reached for the soap and washed his body, turning the water even hotter in the meantime. He stuck his head under the spray coming from the shower and closed his eyes, letting the shampoo and soap run off his body and down the drain.

He kept his head under the spray, allowing it to massage his scalp, and enjoyed the feeling of the hot water running all down his body. He breathed in the steam and ran his hands through his hair before bringing them to his eyes and rubbing his eyes until the blackness of the back of his eye lids disappeared and all he could see were colors and stars.

He exhaled a deep breath before reaching down and turning off the water, completely forgetting to condition his hair. He got out of the shower and wrapped the towel around him. He approached the mirror and used his hand to wipe the condensation off of the surface, before looking at himself one more time. He looked the same. The only difference was his skin now carried a tint of red from the boiling hot water coming from the shower.

Draco quickly turned his head away from the shower and dried himself off, then proceeded to get changed.

He left the bathroom in a haste, picking up his towel and hanging it over the shower rail to dry. He returned to the room he stayed in the night before and shut the door quietly. He glanced around the room, biting his lips together, still looking for a clock. When he still couldn't find one, he walked over towards the window. He opened up the shade and looked up towards the sky, locating the sun. It was falling towards the west, and judging by how high it was in the sky, Draco guessed it was about 2 in the afternoon.

He ran a hand through his damp hair and shook his head, not believing he slept close to 14 hours. His stomach growled at him, but Draco ignored it. There was no way he would be returning to the kitchen anytime soon. He would rather die of starvation then eat what these people called food. Not to mention the fact that if he returned to the kitchen, he would have to talk to Author Weasley or his stupid cousin of his Tonks.

Draco shook his head and then closed the curtains back to their original state. He folded his arms and glanced around the room, noticing a book shelf for the first time. He approached it and turned his head sideways to get a better view of the book titles. Allowing his fingers to guide his eyes, he finally found what looked to be a good one and grabbed it. He placed it under his arms and then walked back over towards the bed. He took a seat, pressing his legs against his chest, and opened the book, using the little light coming from the curtains to read, and hoping that the book would take his mind off of how his mother was coping with the idea that he was dead.

-------------------

Hermione arrived at the burrow around six that night, Harry and the Weasley family accompanying her. They walked inside the burrow, placing their school bags down on the ground before going into the kitchen where Mrs. Weasley offered everybody some soup. They all thanked her before taking a seat at the table and slurping at their dinner. Nobody spoke. The only noise in the kitchen was the clanking of spoons to bowls, but nobody in the room really cared. They were all to affected by the funeral of their headmaster that morning. The fact that Albus Dumbledore was dead didn't really seem to sink in until they all witnessed the white tomb and all the people who had come to say their last goodbyes to one of the greatest wizards who ever lived.

The silence was broke after several long minutes by Mrs. Weasley. "Where's the Malfoy boy at?" She asked, looking at everybody seated around the table before her eyes landed on her husband.

He quickly swallowed his soup and then wiped his mouth with his napkin before speaking. "He hasn't been down all day." He stated, taking another spoon full. "I think I heard the shower running earlier though."

"Poor dear." Mrs. Weasley said, looking up at the ceiling. "He's at least eaten, I presume?" She asked in a matter of fact tone, looking back down at her bowl and taking another sip.

"Actually, no." Mr. Weasley said, looking at Tonks who smiled, obviously trying to hold back a laugh. "He actually looked rather repulsed when I offered it to him, so I tried to give him tea instead, placing it on the table in front of him. He sat down on the chair with the uneven legs and the whole chair toppled over onto the ground, taking him down with it."

At the mention of Draco falling off the kitchen chair, Harry and Ron burst in laughs for the first time that day. "Serves him right." Ron said, looking at Harry who only nodded in agreement.

"That's enough Ronald Weasley." Mrs. Weasley said crossly, glancing at Ron with a look only a mother could muster up. Ron immediately stopped laughing, along with Harry, and lowered his head, shoving spoonfuls of soup into his mouth.

Hermione looked around the room, watching everybody closely. When it became obvious that nobody was going to do anything to help Draco, Hermione stood up. "I'm going to go bring him some tea." She stated, approaching the stove and quickly brewing some. She reached up into the cabinet, grabbing a bowl and a tea cup, completely oblivious to the fact that everybody was now looking at her with wonder.

"Are you mental?" Ron asked, dropping his spoon into his bowl.

Hermione rolled her eyes before grabbing a spoon and pouring some cream of mushroom soup into the bowl she grabbed out of the cabinet, completely ignoring Ron. She waited for the tea pot to whistle before quickly pouring some into the cup. "What room is he in Mr. Weasley?" She asked, looking over her shoulder and smiling at the oldest red head at the table.

"Charlie's room." He said looking at Hermione with a smile. It was obvious he was happy that Hermione was being the mature one and wanting to care for the person who needed help.

Hermione grabbed the soup and tea before starting to approach the stairs, glancing over at the table and looking directly at Harry and Ron. "He is human." She said, looking at them seriously. "He has to eat."

And with that, she marched out of the room and up the stairs, ignoring the comment Ron made about her not being herself lately. She walked up the couple flights of stairs before coming across what she knew to be Charlie's room. She knocked lightly on the door, balancing the soup on top of the tea cup as she did so, and waiting for an answer. A couple seconds later, she could hear a faint "Come in." and forced the door open.

Draco Malfoy looked up at her, a book gripped tightly in his hands, and confusion etched all over his face. Hermione cleared her throat, finding the situation rather awkward all the sudden but ignoring it all the same. She approached him cautiously, a smile on her face. "What do you want?" Draco snapped.

Hermione licked her lips, suddenly nervous. "You didn't eat last night?" She asked.

Draco looked at Hermione curiously. "No…." He said, raising an eye brow at her.

"Why not?"

Draco looked her up and down, probably trying to decide what she was trying to accomplish by being in his room. "Because." He said simply. "It was repulsive looking. I've never seen tomato soup look so nasty."

"I'm sure you were just overreacting." Hermione said kindly, a small smile on her face.

Draco looked at her, shell shocked. "I was not overreacting!" He practically yelled, catching Hermione off guard. "Maybe if they had a house elf to do their cooking, I would be a little more impressed. Not to mention the house could do with a little more cleaning."

Hermione turned her head to the side and looked at Draco with uncertainty. "Little more cleaning?" Hermione asked, laughing a little. "Mrs. Weasley keeps up a tight ship."

"Yeah, right." Draco said rolling his eyes and then turning his attention back to his book.

"We all can't live in huge manors and have house elves do all of our cooking and cleaning Malfoy." Draco looked away from his book and up at Hermione when she said this. "This house isn't dirty. You just think it's dirty because you're used to everything being spotless and perfect."

"I am a Malfoy." Draco spat, looking at Hermione completely perplexed.

"Yes… well, that doesn't matter." Hermione said instantly. "Why don't you just try looking at everything like everybody else does instead of expecting everything to be at your standards." Hermione said, smiling at him kindly. "You'll see things a lot more clearer that way." Draco just stared at Hermione, and she stared back for a few seconds before looking away, finding it very uncomfortable. She finally cleared her throat and looked back up at Draco. "Well… I heard you didn't eat anything last night, so I brought you up some cream of mushroom soup and some tea." She said, lifting them in the air slightly to get his attention.

She walked a few steps towards the desk and placed them on top, a few feet away from Draco. "The soup was nasty last night and so was the tea. I don't want any." Draco said, dismissing her offering and turning back to the book he was reading.

"You didn't even try any last night Malfoy." Hermione said crossing her arms.

"So." Draco snapped. "I still smelled it Granger. This Weasley family can't cook." He said, not taking his eyes off the book.

"Then just drink your tea. I brewed that cup, and last time I checked, I wasn't a Weasley." Hermione looked Draco over one more time before turning her back and heading towards the door. "And I would come downstairs as well if I was you." Hermione said putting her hand on the handle and turning back to give Draco one more look.

"Why?"

"We need to figure out our next plan. If you want your mother to get rescued then you should come down and help us figure something out." She turned the handle on the door and opened it slightly before turning back and giving Draco one last smile, but before she could shut the door, Draco said something.

"Granger?" He asked, causing Hermione to poke her head back in the room. "Why are you being so nice to me?" Draco actually was rather curious.

"Drink your tea, Malfoy." Hermione said with a smile. "You look awful." And she closed the door, leaving Draco with his unanswered question.

Draco stared at the door for a few more seconds before allowing his eyes to travel over towards the tea cup sitting on the desk. He stood up and approached the tea, picking it up and holding it in both of his hands. He examined it closely, even smelling it, before bringing it to his lips and taking a sip.

He lowered it from his mouth and sighed before walking towards the door. He opened it cautiously and then descended the stairs after Hermione, the most delicious tea he had ever had still gripped tightly in the palms of his hands.

* * *

_Thanks to everybody who reviewed! I hope this one was as good at the last!_


	6. Changing the blonde's mind

_Last Chapter: "Granger?" He asked, causing Hermione to poke her head back in the room. "Why are you being so nice to me?" Draco actually was rather curious._

_"Drink your tea, Malfoy." Hermione said with a smile. "You look awful." And she closed the door, leaving Draco with his unanswered question._

_Draco stared at the door for a few more seconds before allowing his eyes to travel over towards the tea cup sitting on the desk. He stood up and approached the tea, picking it up and holding it in both of his hands. He examined it closely, even smelling it, before bringing it to his lips and taking a sip._

_He lowered it from his mouth and sighed before walking towards the door. He opened it cautiously and then descended the stairs after Hermione, the most delicious tea he had ever had still gripped tightly in the palms of his hands._

* * *

Draco descended the stairs one at a time and approached the kitchen slowly. He could hear everybody talking and listened in as he approached. "I still think it's stupid to try and save his mother. Why would Dumbledore make him that offer anyway? It just doesn't make any sense to me."

"Whether it makes sense or not, Dumbledore still made the offer and we'll still have to stick by it. None of us know what he was thinking at the time and none of us can ask him, but he must have done it for a reason."

Draco came in the doorway and saw that Lupin was facing Harry. He watched Harry roll his eyes and exhale a deep breath before turning to Mr. Weasley. "How can we though? Isn't it to dangerous? Can we actually walk straight into Malfoy Manor, grab his mother and just leave, convincing them that we killed her in the meantime? It's suicide."

Mr. Weasley turned and looked at Lupin. "He does have a point you know. They would be deaths on our side no doubt."

"Dumbledore promised." Hermione reminded them. Draco looked at her, the curiousity of why she was on his side still bugging him, but he ignored it for now. They were talking about rescuing his mother without them knowing that he was standing in the room, and it wasn't looking like they were going to be doing anything anytime soon.

"That's beside the point, Hermione." Harry snapped. "We have to think about our side and the people who will get hurt or killed if we attempt this."

"There is no difference Harry. Malfoy is on our side now and his parents safety should mean as much to everybody here as it would if it was one of our loved ones." Hermione said back quietly.

"We don't know that Malfoy's on our side, and until we do I think we should leave his mother and father where they are. Honestly, I think they're perfectly safe where they are."

Everybody in the room got quiet and just before Draco could speak, somebody else spoke. "So it's settled then." Lupin said with a sigh. "Draco will have to wait until the right time comes along for when we can go and save them. For now, he'll have to be patient."

Draco's nostrils flared as the anger towards The Order built up inside of him. He squeezed the tea cup he was holding in his hand, taking his anger out on that, hoping to break it. When it didn't break, he threw it at the ground with all the force he had. Everybody turned at the sound of the crash to see Draco standing in the doorway, fist clenched at his side and head slightly low to the ground as he glared at Harry. "This is bullshit!"

"Draco, please-" Mrs. Weasley started.

"Don't fucking talk to me!" Draco spat at her. Mrs. Weasley looked taken back and covered her mouth with her hand to hide her gasp. Ron was at his feet in a second, going and standing next to an already standing Harry.

"Don't talk to my mother like that Malfoy." Ron said through his teeth.

Draco ignored him and turned to Harry. "Dumbledore told me he would save my family! I made the decision to come to your side because I believed that you would all do as your 'precious' leader instructed."

"Well obviously you were mistaken." Harry snapped.

Draco looked around the room. Harry and Ron stood next to each other, wands at their sides ready to attack at any second, Lupin and Arthur watched the brawl closely, ready to jump in and break up anything that got started, Hermione stood closer to the back of the room, her arms folded across her chest as she looked at Draco with sadness, everybody else in the room just kept their heads low to the ground, obviously trying to avoid Draco's eyes.

Draco looked over at Harry and Ron one more time before making his decision. "Fine." He snapped. "If you won't do what was promised to me then I guess I'll just have to do it myself." And with that Draco quickly headed for the kitchen door that led outside, shoving his way through Harry and Ron harshly on his way. "Thanks for nothing." He snapped as he slammed the door shut.

Hermione unfolded her arms and turned to look at the group. It was obvious that none of them were going to chase after him, so without another thought, she sprinted out the door after Draco. "Hermione, WAIT!" She heard Harry yell, but she kept on running.

"Draco! DRACO! Please wait!" Hermione yelled as she sprinted after Draco who was already halfway through the backyard.

"What Granger?" Draco snapped, turning around and facing Hermione with his fist clenched.

"You-can't-leave." Hermione said trying to catch her breath.

Draco stared at Hermione with confusion. "And why's that?"

"Think about it Malfoy. If you showed up at your Manor after everybody thought you died, the consequences would be severe. You and your family will be in more danger then you are now."

"That doesn't matter anymore Granger!" Draco snapped, turning around and throwing his arms in the air as he started to walk away.

"Then what does?" Hermione asked chasing after him. She jogged in front of him and stuck her hand out to stop him from walking any farther. "The reason you wanted this so badly was for you families safety, wasn't it?" She asked calmly.

"It was… until I realized it didn't matter where I am or where I go. My family and I are always in danger. My family and I will never be trusted. If I stay here I'll be doing nothing but hiding, like a coward. And on top of being a coward, nobody will even trust me enough to allow me to help win this fight against Voldemort. If I'm with the Deatheaters, it's nothing but watching people die and getting tortured yourself. But at least if I'm over with the Deatheaters… I'll be with my family. I'd rather be tortured and surrounded by the people I love then not believed and not trusted by the people I hate." Draco finished by pushing Hermione out of the way and continuing leaving the yard to the apparation point.

"I already told you I would believe you and trust you." Hermione said quietly, not chasing after him.

Draco stopped suddenly and exhaled a deep breath, then turned and faced Hermione. "What is wrong with you Granger?" Hermione looked down at the ground and fidgeted with her hands as she ignored Draco's question. "Answer me!" He demanded.

Hermione looked up at Draco sadly. "You mean why am I being so nice to you?"

"Yes. You're being nice to the person you hate and has made fun of you ever since you stepped foot into Hogwarts and losing your best friends at the same time. So tell me, why?"

Hermione laughed slightly and shook her head. "I'm not losing my best friends, first of all. Second of all,… I don't hate you Draco."

Draco laughed and rolled his eyes, turning his head and looking to the side, avoiding Hermione's eyes. "Give me a break Granger."

"I don't. There's already enough hate in the world, and I'm not going to help by bringing more into it."

Draco laughed harder this time. "Genuine Gryffindor here."

"You can laugh and make fun of me all you want Malfoy, but it's the truth." Hermione said seriously, getting more louder.

Draco turned back to her and saw the seriousness on her face. "But you still haven't answered my question. You ignored me up in the bedroom and now you're ignoring me out here. So tell me, why are you being so nice?" Hermione lowered her head again and put all her attention on her hands. "Fine, keep ignoring me. I don't really care." Draco turned and went to walk away, but stopped when he heard Hermione speak.

"For six years now I have been helping Harry fight off Voldemort and all his followers. For six years I have been helping to get rid of everything evil and everything that Voldemort stands for. Six years." Hermione looked up at Draco. "I was taught growing up that there is always some good in everybody. I believed it for a while, until I came to Hogwarts and became friends with Harry. Once I did, I saw that there really is evil out there, evil that won't stop just because you're a child or because your friends or family is in danger. And that scared me and caused me to believe that maybe what I was taught was wrong, that maybe there really isn't good in everybody. But six years gives you a lot of time to think, and I've been doing that a lot lately."

"Lately?"

Hermione ignored Draco and kept going. "I really started to think after Dumbledore died, mostly because I realized something. I saw something that made me realize that there was a strong possibility that maybe I was taught correctly. That maybe there is still some good mixed in with all that bad."

Draco laughed. "There's no good in Voldemort or any of his followers, so stop looking."

"I have." Hermione said with a smile, staring right at Draco. "I've stopped looking because I believe I already found that person."

Draco studied Hermione before finally realizing what she was saying. "Me?" He asked with a laugh.

Hermione nodded shyly. "I know you're not as evil as you put on. You can't be."

"And why's that?"

"Because you couldn't kill Dumbledore." Draco went silent and just stared at Hermione, not knowing what to say. "I know you're not this evil person in real life. I know that deep down inside of you is the true you, the nice you."

"So that's why you're being nice to me? To bring out my good side?"

Hermione shrugged. "I'm doing this to prove to myself and everybody else that there really is good out there. That there really is good hiding deep down inside of all the evil." Draco rolled his eyes. "And I don't have to bring out your good side Draco. It's already out, you just have to stop forcing it back into its hiding place."

Hermione watched Draco run a hand through his hair and stare back at The Burrow. "This is ridiculous." He said under his breath.

"Don't leave Draco." Hermione said quietly.

Draco turned his attention to Hermione, seeing the pleading in her eyes. "I can't stay here and know that my family won't be safe. I can't stay here and know that The Order is refusing to save and help them."

"They're not refusing it." Hermione stated calmly. "They just can't do it at this moment. You just have to give them time."

"Time won't do anything. Potter hates me, and he won't want to help me, not matter how long I wait." Draco said sadly.

"I don't think that's true. Harry hates Malfoy, but I bet he'll like Draco." Hermione smiled at Draco. "You just have to be nicer and not so sarcastic."

Draco laughed. "I'm a Malfoy. Sarcasm and being mean are hammered into my brain at a young age, Granger."

"Well then how about we pull them out and hammer in some new manners?" Draco shook his head and looked from The Burrow to the fields behind him, an apparation point and his family waiting for him. "Please don't go anywhere Draco." Hermione pleaded again.

Draco turned back and let out a long deep sigh before answering. "I can't exactly go back in there." He pointed to the house behind Hermione.

She turned to see what he was referring to and then faced Draco with a smile. "You can when everybody goes to sleep."

"That's a long time from now." Draco said with a smile.

"Then that gives us plenty of time to start teaching you some new manners."

"Us?" Draco asked, watching as Hermione looking down at the ground before taking a seat in the grass, her legs crossed.

"Who else did you think was going to teach you? The chickens?" Draco rolled his eyes at Hermione. "Come on, sit." She said patting the grass next to her with her palm. Draco exhaled a deep breath before slowly approaching and sitting down next to Hermione with his legs pressed up against his chest.

Neither of them noticed all the pairs of eyes watching them from the kitchen, all curious on how the brunette was always able to change the blonde's mind.

* * *

_Sorry for the lack of updates! I had the biggest writers block with this story and wanted to get the sequel to one of my other stories started. i hope you guys liked this chapter and please review! i should be forming the story line soon!_

_and thanks to all those who reviewed last chapter: jessirose85, Life is 42__, MargueriteHOL, KsenijaRoberta, Miyu Maniac, the rose has thorns, rosebud23, soccercrazyfreak, daniela1417, BlackandGrey, natine, ebbe04, and LynZann._


	7. Admitting the Truth

_Last Chapter: Draco turned back and let out a long deep sigh before answering. "I can't exactly go back in there." He pointed to the house behind Hermione._

_She turned to see what he was referring to and then faced Draco with a smile. "You can when everybody goes to sleep."_

_"That's a long time from now." Draco said with a smile._

_"Then that gives us plenty of time to start teaching you some new manners."_

_"Us?" Draco asked, watching as Hermione looking down at the ground before taking a seat in the grass, her legs crossed._

_"Who else did you think was going to teach you? The chickens?" Draco rolled his eyes at Hermione. "Come on, sit." She said patting the grass next to her with her palm. Draco exhaled a deep breath before slowly approaching and sitting down next to Hermione with his legs pressed up against his chest._

_Neither of them noticed all the pairs of eyes watching them from the kitchen, all curious on how the brunette was always able to change the blonde's mind._

* * *

"Well, is the bastard finally gone?"

"I don't know Ron, are you?" Hermione snapped, not even bothering to look at Ron. She had just gotten settled at the breakfast table and was getting ready to eat her first spoonful of oatmeal, when he came walking down the stairs. He didn't even say hello before asking the question that was on his mind.

He was caught off guard by Hermione's response and took a few seconds to retort back. "You know very well I'm not talking about myself, Hermione." Ron said back.

"Really?" Hermione asked, looking at Ron with mock confusion for only a few seconds, then turning back to her breakfast. "You're the only bastard I see here so excuse me for not knowing you were talking about yourself."

Ron's face turned a beat red from anger and embarrassment as he turned to Harry for help. Harry, who was the first to wake out of the trio, just lowered his head when he saw Ron look at him and continued to eat his cereal in silence. Even though Harry didn't want Draco to be in the house anymore then Ron did, he knew when to keep his mouth shut. Ron could be intelligent when he wanted to, but sometimes he lacked any common sense, and common sense (along with experience) should have told him not to mess with Hermione in the morning. She wasn't a morning person.

"Just answer me, Hermione." Ron said, walking around the table and getting himself a glass of orange juice from the fridge. "Is Malfoy here or not?"

"Of course he's here." Hermione said, continuing to eat her oatmeal and still not looking at Ron. "Why would he not be?"

"Because he wanted to leave last night." Ron finally took a seat across from Hermione as Fred and George entered the room, still dressed in their pajamas.

"Well he didn't." Hermione looked up at Ron and glared at him. Ron shook his head and muttered something under his breath, something Hermione didn't catch. "What did you say?" Hermione asked louder then she intended. As the argument continued on between the two best friends, nobody noticed Draco descending the stairs, already dressed in the same, clean clothes he had been wearing since he arrived. He froze on the third step to the bottom when he realized that they were arguing about him again.

"I said that if you hadn't gone out there to stop him from leaving, he would have left and he would be out of our lives! We wouldn't have to worry about Malfoy." Ron slammed his glass done as he finished, obviously still frustrated over the fact that a Malfoy was in his home.

"And then he would have gone back to his family, right back into Voldemorts grasps."

"So?"

"So they think he's dead!" Hermione voice rose an octave with the frustration and she slammed her spoon down on the table. "If he would have gone back, they would have known he was in cahoots with Dumbledore. They would have killed him Ron!"

"Do you think I care about bloody Draco Malfoy?" Ron asked seriously.

"I know you don't. That much is obvious." Hermione shook her head at Ron. "But are you honestly going to sit here and tell me that you would have been okay with knowing that he was walking to his death? Your conscious would have been able to handle the fact that somebody was dead all because you couldn't deal with him being on our side and hiding out here?"

Ron shook his head and sipped down what he had left of his orange juice before standing up and storming out of the room, his face almost as red as his hair in anger. Draco, who finally decided it was safe to come into the room, took the last remaining steps and took a seat next to Hermione. She gave him a warm smile nodded back before reaching across the table and grabbing a bowl, some cereal, and some milk. As he made himself some breakfast, he could feel all eyes, except for Hermione's, on him and it made him rather nervous and uncomfortable. He wanted nothing more than to glue their eyelids together, but that wouldn't have gone over well with The Order.

Draco finally looked up and gave Harry, Fred, and George a look that plainly told them he knew they were watching him, and they quickly turned their eyes back to what they were doing previously.

"So Harry?" Fred asked, causing Harry to look up from his cereal. "When you going back to those muggles?"

Harry rolled his eyes and let out a sigh. "Moody and Lupin are coming around noon to take me back… unfortunately."

"You're going back?" Everybody turned their heads to see Ginny come walking down the stairs. She quickly took a seat next to Harry and looked at him, waiting for an answer.

"Yeah." Harry said with no excitement in his voice. "Dumbledore's wishes. I'll be back come my birthday, though."

"That's still a long time to have to spend with those muggles." George said, speaking for the first time.

"You're telling me." Harry said sighing yet again. "They're awful, especially Dudley." Harry suddenly let out a little laugh, then turned and looked right at Draco. "I always used to compare Dudley to Mal-." Harry stopped short, obviously noticing that what he was about to say might not be the _best_ thing to say. He quickly cleared his throat and tore his eyes away from Draco, but Draco had caught it, and a small smirk had crossed his lips. He didn't care that was Harry just said would be considered an insult, because to him, it was a compliment. He had spent his first five years at Hogwarts trying to make everything a living hell for Harry, and if Harry compared him to who he considered the worst bunch of people (besides the Deatheaters), then he had succeeded. "It'll be over before I know it and then I'll never had to see them again."

Everybody nodded in agreement and continued to eat their breakfast in silence. Once everybody had finished, Draco noticed the Fred and George had both exchanged looks, said something to each other that he couldn't make out, and then turned back to Harry. "So Harry, you still have a couple hours until you're going back, right?"

"Yeah…." Harry said with a small smile, confusion painted on his face.

"How about a game of Quidditch before your sent packing?"

Harry laughed, liking the idea. "Sounds great." He said standing up.

"Wicked." Both Fred and George said, standing up at the same time. "There's seven of us so somebody will have to sit out. We can play three a side. A keeper, seeker, and a chaser should work."

"Where you getting seven from?" Ginny asked.

George turned to Fred and Fred nodded back, understanding their non-verbal conversation. "I'll get him." He said before running out of the room and in towards the living room.

"Fred will get Ron, so that's one. Then it'll be me, Fred, Harry, Ginny, Hermione, and Malfoy." Draco shot up at the mention of his name. He was shocked at the fact that they would consider letting him play and didn't know what say back. He wanted to argue, to say he would be the one to sit out, but his words seemed to be caught in the back of the throat.

Just as Draco was about to say he would rather not play, Hermione spoke. "I'll sit out. I'm an awful flyer."

As Draco was about to protest for the second time, Fred came walking in the room, dragging Ron by his collar. "Let me go!" He yelled, trying to get free.

"Relax little Ronnikins." Fred said, finally releasing his brother. Draco had to hide his laugh. "We need you to play keeper for one of the teams." Ron sighed by gave up on trying to get away. He could never pass up a good game of Quidditch. "Alright, we'll go get the stuff and then head out to the field." Fred and George led the group out of the kitchen. Hermione stood to follow, but saw that Draco hadn't yet got out from his seat.

She smiled at him lightly. "Aren't you going to play?" Draco just looked back at her, not knowing what to say. "Come on, there's no way to show them that your trying to change like a friendly game of Quidditch."

Draco laughed. "Quidditch is far from friendly." He said, finally standing up. "But I guess I'll attempt it." Hermione smiled at Draco and then walked out of the house with Draco on her tail, to go and catch up with the group.

They all met up at the field and Fred and George quickly tossed the brooms out to everybody. Draco caught his with cat like reflexes, getting a grin from George. "You ready for this Malfoy?" He asked, getting a nod from Draco. "Good. You played seeker before, right?"

"Yeah."

"Alright. You can play seeker on our team then." George turned to the group and pointed at Ginny, Harry, and Ron. "The three of you can be a team and we'll be a team as well." George suddenly turned to Hermione. "You can be the referee. Even though you're bloody awful at Quidditch, I'm sure you know the rules anyway. You could probably ref the world cup if you wanted to." Hermione rolled her eyes, but smiled anyway, giving the group a nod.

Everybody quickly mounted their broom and took a side as Hermione released the snitch into the air and then held the quaffle, ready to throw it into the air to begin the game. Fred took keeper on their team, as Ron took it on the opposite team, leaving George and Ginny to face each other for the quaffle as Draco and Harry squared up above everybody else, ready to start the search for the snitch.

Harry grinned at Draco. "Just like the old times, huh Malfoy?" Harry asked with a little laugh.

"Yeah." Draco said smirking back. "Better watch out for those enchanted bludgers this time around, alright Scarhead?" Draco's smirk grew as Harry's grin fell, and then they both glared at each other. Draco hadn't meant his comment to come out so mean, especially when he was trying to be nice, but Quidditch wasn't a nice sport. If you wanted to win, you had to play dirty.

"You're one to talk." Harry said back suddenly. "Did you forget that you were the one who was knocked off of your broom because of that bludger, or did you just land on your bottom so hard that it messed up your memory?"

Draco smirked back. 'So Potter has some comebacks now, does he?' Draco asked himself. He was about to respond, but stopped once he heard Hermione yell and watched at the quaffle was released and the game began.

He quickly flew away from Harry as Harry tore in the opposite direction. He circled the field quickly keeping an eye out for the snitch while still keeping his eyes on the game. Within a few minutes, Ginny had successfully taken the quaffle straight from George's hands and had scored numerous times. It was no wonder that the Weasley twins played beaters. They were terrible at everything else.

Just as Draco was about to give George some advice, George grabbed the quaffle from Ginny and headed straight at Ron. Fred, who saw an opportunity arising, quickly left the goal post and headed towards George, yelling at him to let him know he was there. They quickly passed it inbetween each other, successfully keeping it away from Ginny and scoring a goal. Draco smirked triumphantly as Ron started yelling that they cheated and Hermione just laughed.

The battle raged between keepers and chasers for what felt like hours as the hot sun beat down on them. Just as George scored another goal to tie it up with Ginny, Draco saw Harry going in for a nose dive and in front of him, a sparkle of gold. Draco tore after it as well, reaching Harry just as he was about to wrap his hands around the snitch. Draco's Quidditch instinct kicked in and he quickly rammed himself into the side of Harry, causing him to lose his balance and almost fall off his broom. Harry tore sideways and Draco smirked as he stared at the snitch. His hand was open and only a few inches away from grasping it, and Harry was nowhere in sight.

Draco smiled, knowing that he was about to catch the snitch and win for his team, when suddenly, something came up from under him and grabbed the snitch just as Draco was seconds from having it. Draco cursed under his breath as Harry flew around the field with the snitch in his hand. He had never won against Harry, and he was so close to finally being the victor, but Harry was there to take it away from him.

Everybody landed, Harry getting claps on the back from his team and even Fred and George. "Bloody brilliant." George said. "You could play professional." Harry blushed red. Draco couldn't help but realize that everybody had been right. Harry was a brilliant Quidditch player, and Draco hadn't realized it until now. He was always so busy thinking about himself that he never really realized how good Harry actually was.

Draco watched the group from behind, only turning his head when he felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned and saw Hermione smiling at him. "You played great."

"Thanks." Draco said quietly. "But I lost."

"Plenty of people have lost to Harry." Hermione said with a laugh. "I'm sure you'll beat him one of these days."

Draco turned back to watch the group as they started packing up the Quidditch supplies. "No." Draco said shaking his head lightly. "He's better than me." Draco turned and gave Hermione a small smile before walking over towards Harry, about to do the one thing he never thought he would even do in his entire life. "Hey Potter." He called, standing next to George as Harry looked up from his conversation he was having with Ginny.

"Yeah?" Harry asked, approaching Draco with his arms crossed against his chest. Harry looked ready to defend himself, obviously thinking that Draco was about to insult him in some way. Draco was a Slytherin after all, and they were the sorest losers out there.

"Nice game." Draco slowly extended his hand out, waiting for Harry to shake it.

Harry slowly uncrossed his hands and then shook Draco's, staring at him with shock, not believing that Draco Malfoy was congratulating him even though he beat him. "Uh… thanks Malfoy." Draco just nodded his head as they shook hands. Nobody saw Hermione's huge smile that was on her face as she watched. And nobody saw Ron glaring at Draco as he tossed his broom on the ground and angrily marched back into the house.

* * *

_I'm so sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry for the long delay on updating this story! i had the biggest writers block ever, you guys have no idea! i normally wouldn't take this long to update and i'll try to not let it happen again : )_

_thanks to those who reviewed last chapter: jessirose85, Miyu Maniac, MagnusXXN, manitou2422, Ruby Pen, God's child 27, LK-HoGwArTs-hEaDgIrL, soccercrazyfreak, daniela1417, ebbe04, Readerforlife, see-oh-oh-elle, LynZann, Riss-H-STARDOM, and New Ghost Girl._

_please remember to review this chapter as well! if any of you have any ideas or things that you think would be cool for this story, dont hesitate to let me know! it might help me with some writers block, and if anybody gives me a good idea, i'll donate a chapter to you :D_

_sorry once again for the long wait_


	8. Knowing and Wanting

_Last Chapter: Draco turned back to watch the group as they started packing up the Quidditch supplies. "No." Draco said shaking his head lightly. "He's better than me." Draco turned and gave Hermione a small smile before walking over towards Harry, about to do the one thing he never thought he would even do in his entire life. "Hey Potter." He called, standing next to George as Harry looked up from his conversation he was having with Ginny._

_"Yeah?" Harry asked, approaching Draco with his arms crossed against his chest. Harry looked ready to defend himself, obviously thinking that Draco was about to insult him in some way. Draco was a Slytherin after all, and they were the sorest losers out there._

_"Nice game." Draco slowly extended his hand out, waiting for Harry to shake it._

_Harry slowly uncrossed his hands and then shook Draco's, staring at him with shock, not believing that Draco Malfoy was congratulating him even though he beat him. "Uh… thanks Malfoy." Draco just nodded his head as they shook hands. Nobody saw Hermione's huge smile that was on her face as she watched. And nobody saw Ron glaring at Draco as he tossed his broom on the ground and angrily marched back into the house._

* * *

By the time they all got back to the burrow from their game of Quidditch, Lupin and Moody were waiting to pick up Harry to take him back to the Dursley's. Harry quickly ran upstairs to get his things together and came back downstairs within a few minutes to say his goodbyes. Draco, who felt awkward standing with the rest of the group, decided to separate himself.

He turned and quickly took a seat on the steps that Harry had just walked down, watching them all exchange smiles and goodbyes. All the Weasley boys, Ron included, shook his hand and wished him luck spending the summer with the Dursleys. Mr. Weasley patted him on the shoulder, telling him to take care of himself. Ginny approached Harry and they hugged for what Draco realized was a little too long to be a friendly goodbye like the others. Hermione hugged Harry as well, telling him to write every day.

Mrs. Weasley was the last to go and as she walked over to embrace Harry in a hug, Draco couldn't help but notice how much of a mother figured she was to Harry. She treated Harry like he was one of her sons and judging by the way Harry hugged her back, Draco knew he thought of himself as exactly that. "We'll be waiting your return anxiously." She said, patting Harry's cheek with a bright smile.

Harry smiled back. "Thanks Mrs. Weasley." Harry nodded to the rest of the people surrounding him and just as he was about to turn to leave, he spotted Draco watching from behind. He froze and they both stared at each other for a few seconds before Harry started to slowly approach him. Draco stood up slowly, waiting for Harry to speak, which he did when they were a few feet from each other. "Malfoy." Harry said, a small glare hidden inside his green eyes.

"Potter." Draco said back with the same look in his eyes.

Harry paused for a couple seconds before continuing. "I don't trust you." Harry said flatly, continuing again before Draco even had time to speak. "I've spent the past couple days that you where here trying to convince myself that you not killing Dumbledore makes you a good person… a changed person. Yet every time I look at you all I can see is that same pathetic little ferret that tormented us from the moment we stepped onto Hogwarts grounds."

"Potter-."

"I'm not finished Malfoy." Harry snapped. "I've tried my hardest to put all my trust in you, but I just can't. I can however, put my trust in the people standing behind me." Harry pointed to the Weasley, Hermione, Lupin, and Moody all standing behind him, watching with curious eyes. "And one of them, who happens to be one of my very best of friends, seems to trust you a lot. Why… I don't know. But the fact that she trust you gives me just that little bit of faith to walk out these doors tonight and not have to worry about anything happening to this family and the people who reside within it." Harry paused again, studying Draco's facial expressions which didn't change much.

"You don't have to worry about anything happening Potter." Draco said back quietly.

"For your sake… I hope not." Harry looked down at Draco's left arm, his sleeve perfectly covering his Dark Mark. "I saw what happened on the tower Malfoy and I heard everything you said."

"Then you know that I have nothing to do with them anymore."

"If that's the truth then I won't have to worry about anything happening while I'm gone."

"You won't."

"Good. Because if anything does… I'm coming after you." They both glared at each other for a couple seconds longer before Harry turned on the spot and headed back towards the group.

Draco watched them all say their final goodbyes and he watched Harry leave, his words replaying in his head over and over again. He knew that he would never gain anybodies trust, and what Harry had just said to him was proof. He was the bad guy, the one they all hated. He was their living, walking memory of what they were going out there to fight. He was like a ticking time bomb that they didn't know how to stop and were to afraid to approach to even attempt it. He would always be the most un-trusted person in the house and they would all watch him with cautious eyes. It was like they were just waiting for him to whip out his wand and touch it to his Dark Mark or just waiting for him to curse them all in their sleep.

They should have known from what they were told happened on the Astronomy tower that he wouldn't do that to any of them. Not only would he not, but he couldn't. He was supposed to be dead. If one of the most popular and biggest wizarding families, along with half The Order, were to suddenly disappear or turn up dead, there could only be one person who could possibly have done it. A murder to that scale just doesn't stay quiet. Voldemort would hear about it and soon he would figure it out.

It would only put his life in danger more than he was now. Hermione was right. He couldn't leave, no matter how much he wanted to, and he had to stay quiet and under the radar. Who knew what Voldemort would do if he discovered that Draco was alive.

Right on cue, Hermione walked over with a kind smile on her face, bringing Draco out of his thoughts. "Mrs. Weasleys going to start cooking dinner. She said it should be ready within a couple hours."

Draco just nodded and then glanced up the stairs. "I think I'll just go freshen up then."

Hermione smiled back with a nod and watched as Draco slowly walked up the stairs heading towards his room. She sighed heavily and then left the base of the stairs heading for the sitting room. She found Ron standing with his back towards her and glancing out at the window. She cleared her throat to let him know of her presence and then took a seat on the couch.

Although they were both completely aware of each other's presence, they didn't speak for several minutes. Hermione heard Ron sigh and she quickly looked up to see him frowning out the window. "What's wrong?" She asked softly.

Ron turned and gave her a small, fake, smile. "It just doesn't feel real." He took a seat next to Hermione and ran a hand through his hair. "The war is practically in full swing and yet it all feels too distant."

"What do you mean?"

"It still feels like it used to feel. With Harry still going to live with the muggles, mum still cooking meals and having us do chores, Bill's wedding coming up, the Quidditch games played in the middle of the afternoon, and even the fact that you're here. It doesn't feel like Dumbledore just died or that Malfoy has invaded our home. It feels… normal."

Hermione watched Ron sadly, seeing the sadness and worry in his eyes. "We need to remember these moments now Ron, because they might be gone sooner then we all think."

"I know." His voice was barely audible that Hermione practically had to read his lips to understand him. "There's a chill in the air that seems to sneak up on us all when we think of the other things that should be going on besides fighting. Everybody is trying to act normal, like they can't feel the chill, but you know they all do. You can tell by the way they speak or the way they act. Harry is a perfect example, with the way he just talked to Malfoy."

"We don't have to worry about Malfoy, Ron." Hermione said with a sigh, looking over at the stairs that Draco ascended minutes ago. When Ron didn't respond to what she said, Hermione turned and looked back over at him, only to see him staring back at her with disbelief written all over his blue eyes. "What?"

"I just…-." Ron ran his hand through his hair and suddenly stood up. "How can you trust him Hermione!?" Ron yelled, pointing at the stairs. "He's a Deatheater!"

"He's innocent Ron. He did nothing wrong."

"'Nothing wrong'?" Ron repeated, completely flabbergasted. "Did you forget about the time when I almost died from a poison?"

"Of course not."

"Okay, then did you forget that _he_ was the one responsible for that?!"

"I-"

"And what about Katie? Did you forget about the part where she was cursed with a necklace that was given to her by the ferret!?"

"Stop yelling at me Ron and stop making fun of my intelligence!" Hermione yelled, now on her feet. "Of course I remember all those things and that is the only thing you can blame him for. He killed nobody and you and Katie are just fine!"

"He's a murder Hermione!" Ron yelled even louder. "The mark on his arm just proves it."

"He murdered nobody!" Hermione now yelled, slowly getting closer to Ron as they fought. "And maybe if you were to open your eyes, listen more often, and just give people a chance, you would see that Malfoy is just as scared as we all are!" They both paused, Hermione watching Ron closely with tears in her eyes. "He didn't want to take the Dark Mark and maybe if you just gave him a chance and listened to him, you would know that. He's no different than the rest of us." Hermione spoke softly now, watching as Ron shook his head.

"He's a monster!" His voice held hatred and it only upset Hermione even more.

"He's human. He can make mistakes." As Hermione spoke, a tear rolled down her cheek.

"Why in the bloody hell are you standing up for him?!" Ron yelled. Hermione licked her lips and just shook her head at Ron. "WHY?!" As Ron yelled, he took a step at Hermione so he was now standing about a foot away from her. "Answer me Hermione!" Ron yelled again, this time getting so close to Hermione that he was practically touching her.

"Because…." Hermione said, tears now freely falling down her face. "He's a good person, Ron. He has to be." She spoke in a whisper, her head now low to the ground as she studied the carpet.

"You're wrong." Ron said. "You're wrong and you're a fool for trusting him."

"I'm not." Hermione said bravely, now looking him directly in the eye.

Ron just shook his head and rolled his eyes before taking a step back and walking in the other direction. "You are Hermione." He said when he reached the door frame that led to the kitchen. "And when you finally realize that you are, don't come crying to me."

Hermione watched him leave, keeping her brave face on, but once he was out of the room, her face fell into her hands. Her tears created puddles in the palms of her hands and she tried to make her sobs and sniffles silent, but there was no stopping it.

She suddenly felt more alone than ever. She knew that she wasn't the only one who wanted to see good in all the evil that was out there, but yet she seemed to be the only one who was trying. She knew, somehow, that deep down inside of his heart, Draco really was a kind person. She was determined to bring that person out of him and make him into what everybody thought he could never become, and she knew she could do it. What she also wanted, however, was for her friends and the people she loved to just be able to see what she saw.

She wanted Ron to be able to trust him and to stop seeing the same boy that made of them all for 6 years, but she knew he never would. His hate for Draco was to strong and that overpowered his will to be able to see what was hiding deep down on the inside. And that was why Hermione had started to cry.

She knew what she wanted, but the fact that everybody else pushed it to the side like it was nothing just made it feel like a lost cause to her.

She could hear voices coming from the kitchen that seemed to be getting closer towards her, and not wanting to be seen crying, she needed to make an exit. She turned to head towards the front door and when she did, her eyes locked with a piercing, cold, grey.

She licked her lips nervously as her and Draco stared at each other. He opened his mouth to say something, but no words came out. Hermione closed her eyes slowly and allowed one more tear to fall before quickly walking past Draco and out towards the front door of the burrow where she would be able to think in peace.

Draco sighed and slowly fell down onto the stairs. He put his head into his hand, his thoughts and Harry's words from earlier coming back into his head. Nobody trusted him and nobody believed him. He was nothing but a Deatheater, a waste of air and a waste of space. He had nobody.

Draco suddenly raised his head from his hands, a glimmer of hope in his eyes. He had somebody, and the only person he had was now sitting outside in tears and feelings all alone. He pushed himself up from the stairs and slowly started making his way towards the same direction Hermione had just went to.

Right now, he had one person in the entire world, and he would be damned if he lost that one person because he wasn't brave enough to just open his mouth.

* * *

_Hello everybody!_

_First off, i am sooooooooo sorry for how long it took me to update this story. I got so pre-occupied with my other stories and then theres always writers block that comes into play. This story seems to be pretty popular (hopefully it still is after the long wait) so i more then likely won't stop writing it. Just keep reviewing to let me know how much you guys love it so i dont lose any motiviation :)_

_Thanks to those who reviewed last chapter: _jessirose85, New Ghost Girl, theconscience, Miyu Maniac, amorreal, LK-HoGwArTs-hEaDgIrL, kazfeist, ihatetosayitoldyouso, Readerforlife, daniela1417, ebbe04, soccercrazyfreak, KaiteMalfoyx, AliceDsfan, xD_._

_Please remember to review again guys and i hope your all not mad at me for the huge delay on updating. i'm going to try my hardest not to let it happen again!_


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